Category: Children

Title: Small Things
Author: Mel Tregonning
Genre: Picture book
Publisher: Pajama Press
Source: Publisher
Release Date: March 1, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

On the cusp of having everything slip from his grasp, a young boy has to find a way to rebuild his sense of self. An ordinary boy in an ordinary world. With no words, only illustrations, Small Things tells the story of a boy who feels alone with worries but who learns that help is always close by. An extraordinary story, told simply and with breath taking beauty.

Review:

When I was a kid, I didn’t like picture books without words. However, now I know that the pictures can tell a more powerful story without words. This is the case with this book.

This book tells the important story of childhood anxiety. Children are not always diagnosed with anxiety, though it is very common. The main character in this story has little creatures or demons that are slowly eating away at him, until he is surrounded by them. His sister speaks to him one day and shows him that she has the same problems. Then, he notices that other kids at school also have the same problems, but he didn’t notice them when he was only thinking of his own problems.

The illustrations in this book are beautiful. The pictures look like detailed pencil sketches. The depiction of his demons were much more prominent though the images than they would have been with words. The number or demons increased so much that they eventually filled the entire page. This is a great, honest way to show how the demons of anxiety can consume a child or adult.

I loved this picture book! It is a powerful story for adults or children.

Title: The Lost Path
Author: Amélie Fléchais
Genre: Children’s fiction
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: April 10, 2018
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

If you’ve got the taste for adventure, come join this treasure hunt! Three young boys set off from Camp Happiness, map in hand, determined to be the first to find the treasure before anyone else. But the shortcut they take leads to something far more spectacular and sinister! All manner of magical beasties live in these woods, and the kids find themselves caught between warring Forest Spirits. Will the three boys find their way out of trouble? Get your map and ready, set, go! Amélie Fléchais’s incredible artwork combines the best of French illustration with manga influences. A spooky new fairytale, for fans of Over the Garden Wall.

Review:

I loved Amélie’s book The Little Red Wolf, so I was excited to read this one.

This is a quirky story with fairytale elements. It’s great that the main characters are boys, because most fairytales have girls as the main characters, so boys are reluctant to read them.

There were some strange monsters in the story that seemed to be part of the forest. I loved how the drawings showed the creatures slowly emerging from the ground through a series of images. One of the boys wore a robot helmet throughout the story, which reminded me of when kids have to carry around or wear one thing constantly for a period. At times, the story would switch to his perspective and he saw the world made of robots. I liked that unique twist in the story.

I really enjoyed this story. It’s a short read that would be great for kids!

Title: Tales of the Spectacular Spectacles: Theodore and the Enchanted Bookstore
Author: K. Kibbee
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: BooksGoSocial
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: October 5, 2017
Rating: ★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Living life as a bumbling breadbox with fur, was hardship enough for Theodore the Corgi, but when the young dog finds himself cold and alone in a frightening animal shelter, it’s clear that his struggles have only just begun.
Labeled “unadoptable,” by shelter staff, Theodore mires in the gloom until a kind-eyed stranger with a pocket full of handcrafted jerky and a quirky smile, rescues him with the intent of making Theodore the newest addition to his curious Bookstore. Though overwhelmed at first, Theodore soon finds both his new friend and the odd bookstore are welcoming hosts, despite the Corgi’s run of clumsy mishaps. And while Theodore’s formerly dull and lonely life fades to memory, a new, adventurous one blooms before him—for hidden amongst the dusty stacks of books and things at the Enchanted Bookstore, waits a peculiar little man with a set of the most magical, Spectacular Spectacles imaginable.

Review:

Corgis are my favourite dog breed. I had to read this book when I saw one on the cover!

Theodore is a very cute puppy. I felt so sorry for him when he was left at the shelter. His owner thought he was too clumsy so she didn’t like him anymore. But luckily he was adopted by Sam, who owns a bookstore.

The narration was third person. But sometimes it gave Theodore’s perspective. Theodore noticed some things that he probably wouldn’t have recognized. For example, he saw girls walking down the street and he knew they were selling girl guide cookies. There was no reason for him to know what they were when he could just see them from across the street. It would have been funnier if he had to guess what different things were. That kind of confusion can create humour in kid’s books.

The story ended very abruptly. The “enchanting” part had just begun, and then the story ended. I was disappointed that there wasn’t more enchantment in the story since it was promised in the title.

Title: Honey Moon: Not Your Valentine
Author: Sofi Benitez
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Rabbit Publishers
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: January 30, 2018
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

A Sleepy Hollow Valentine’s Day dance with a boy! NO WAY, NO HOW is Honey Moon going to a scary sweetheart dance with that Noah kid. But, after being forced to dance together in PE class, word gets around that Honey likes Noah. Now, she has no choice but to stop Valentine’s Day in its tracks. Things never go as planned, and Honey winds up with the surprise of her Sleepy Hollow life.

Review:

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! Here’s a Valentine’s themed review!

This is a great Valentine’s story. Honey Moon is hilarious and gets into lots of trouble. She doesn’t want to go to the dance with a boy, so she does everything she can to make them not like her. But this backfires on her. The dance at the end also provided a great twist. It wasn’t what Honey was expecting.

This story reminded me of when my class would celebrate Valentine’s Day when I was a kid. When picking out the cards for everyone, you had to make sure that the saying on the inside was appropriate. You wouldn’t want a boy in your class to get the wrong impression because you gave him a romantic Valentine. Honey takes that idea to the extreme by writing nasty things in the boys’ cards. That ends up backfiring on her because the boys like the gross things she wrote! Valentine’s Day is a fun holiday but it can also cause problems in the classroom.

I really liked this story. It gives a different perspective on a typical Valentine’s Day story, because Honey does everything she can to avoid getting a date to the dance.

Title: Letters From Father Christmas
Author: J.R.R. Tolkien
Genre: Children’s fiction
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Source: Purchased
Release Date: October 1, 1976
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Every December an envelope bearing a stamp from the North Pole would arrive for J.R.R. Tolkien’s children. Inside would be a letter in a strange, spidery handwriting and a beautiful colored drawing or some sketches.

The letters were from Father Christmas.

They told wonderful tales of life at the North Pole: how the reindeer got loose and scattered presents everywhere; how the accident-prone North Polar Bear climbed the North Pole and fell through the roof of Father Christmas’s house; how he broke the Moon into four pieces and made the Man in it fall into the back garden; how there were wars with the troublesome horde of goblins who lived in the caves beneath the house.

Sometimes the Polar Bear would scrawl a note, and sometimes Ilbereth the Elf would write in his elegant flowing script, adding yet more life and humor to the stories.

This updated version contains a wealth of new material, including letters and pictures missing from early editions. No reader, young or old, can fail to be charmed by the inventiveness and “authenticity” of J.R.R. Tolkien’s Letters from Father Christmas

Review:

This is an amazing book! I just found it this year, and I wish I had read it sooner.

This is a collection of letters written by Tolkien to his children from Father Christmas. The letters are so sweet, that you can’t help but smile. Some say that “Father Christmas” couldn’t find stamps, or he was so busy he had to send the letter on Boxing Day. These parts demonstrate that they are being written by a busy father.

The stories in the letters become more elaborate as the children grow up. They start with just a short letter saying he hopes they enjoy their gifts. But once there are more children and they are older, Father Christmas tells them about his friend, the mischievous North Polar Bear, who chimes in on many letters too. There is also a big fight with Goblins which is described in detail.

These stories are a nice twist on the typical letters from Santa. They also show what an imagination Tolkien had. He didn’t just use it in his work, he brought his fantasies into his home life with his children. I think this book will be a tradition for me to read every Christmas from now on.

Title: The Little Red Wolf
Author: Amelie Flechais
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Lion Forge
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: October 3, 2017
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Lose yourself in in the dark forests of Amelie Flechais’ spectacular artwork. A young wolf, on a journey to bring his grandmother a rabbit, is charmed by the nice little girl who offers to help him… but nice is not the same as good. A haunting fairy tale for children and adults alike.

Review:

This is an amazing adaptation of Little Red Riding Hood. 

Not only is the protagonist a wolf, but it is a male wolf. This is a great modern example for boys in fairytales. Usually the boy in fairytales plays the prince character, and is only the love interest for the princess. Or he is a fighter or hunter of some sort. But this is just an innocent little boy wolf who is sent on a journey to his grandmother’s house. 

There are also larger connotations with the wolf being the main character. The humans don’t like wolves and want to kill them. When they find Little Red Wolf, they want to kill him even though he didn’t do anything to them. This could represent global problems on a broader scale, when people are blamed for the actions of one person in their group. An example of this is racism. This book can be a great learning tool. 

As well as the fabulous story, the illustrations are amazing. I love the simplicity of it. The colour palette reflects the mood of the story. The colours are more vibrant when Little Red Wolf first enters the forest, and become darker when he meets the little girl. 

I felt like the ending was a little abrupt, but I really loved this story!

Title: 101 Video Games to Play Before You Grow Up
Author: Ben Bertoli
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Walter Foster Jr
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: October 1, 2017
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Have you got game? 101 Video Games to Play Before You Grow Up is the unofficial, definitive guide for the best video games ever made!

Each page in this interactive handbook offers behind-the-scenes tidbits and trivia about the games that belong on your bucket list, along with parental rating guidelines, series background information, and storyline previews. Gamers can record their personal ratings of each series as they play their way through the list, making notes and critiquing the best and worst parts of each game.

All different types of video games are featured, including adventure, puzzle, platform, racing, and role-playing games. Both gaming newbies and more experienced players can learn tips and tricks about the best games out there, and discover new genres of games to explore next.

No matter what gaming system you have, this handy guide will help parents and kids alike choose the next best game to play.

Review:

This is a great book for kids who love video games.

There are so many games listed! Each game listing is very detailed. It made me want to play all of the games I haven’t played before.

What I like is that there is a space at the bottom of the page for kids to fill in their rating of the game and their thoughts on it. This gets kids to think critically about the games their playing. I used to learn so much from video games when I was a kid. They can be a great teaching tool.

There are fun facts about the creation of the game for each listing which are interesting to read.

I loved reminiscing about these games while reading this book. So many of these games filled my childhood, and are still relevant today, such as Mario and Sonic. I think you would even enjoy these games if you are already grown up!

Title: Shakespeare for Children: Romeo and Juliet
Author: William Shakespeare
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: October 21, 2015
Rating: ★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Hailed as one of the greatest romantic tragedies ever written, William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is the tragic love story of the ‘star-crossed lovers’, Romeo and Juliet. Set in the city of Verona, Italy, the play revolves around the feud between two affluent families, the Montagues and the Capulets. Despite the enmity, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet fall passionately in love and wed in secret. However, the curse of enmity overpowers and everything goes terribly wrong.

Review:

Romeo and Juliet was the first Shakespeare play that I read. My class put on a condensed version of the play when I was ten, and I later read it in middle school. I think it is a good choice for introducing children to Shakespeare. 

This is a good version of the story. I liked the illustrations that went along with it. They would help children follow along with the story. Some of the men were drawn in a similar way, like Mercutio, Benvolio, and Tybalt. But Romeo and Juliet were distinctly illustrated. 

I liked the way that some of the most famous lines from the play were paraphrased so modern children would understand. For instance, in the balcony scene, Juliet says “O Romeo, Romeo! Why do you have to be Romeo?” rather than “Wherefore art thou Romeo?” This way, children will learn what the characters are saying without getting confused by Shakespeare’s phrasing. 

At times I found the story to get a little confusing. Especially at the beginning, there is a lot of “he did this, then this, then this.” However, the main points of the story were clear. 

This is a great book to introduce children to Shakespeare. 

Title: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Author: L. Frank Baum
Genre: Children’s
Publisher: Sweet Cherry Publishing
Source: NetGalley
Release Date: January 12, 2016 (Originally May 17, 1900)
Rating: ★★★★★

Goodreads Synopsis:

Follow the yellow brick road!

Dorothy thinks she’s lost forever when a tornado whirls her and her dog, Toto, into a magical world. To get home, she must find the wonderful wizard in the Emerald City of Oz. On the way she meets the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Cowardly Lion. But the Wicked Witch of the West has her own plans for the new arrival – will Dorothy ever see Kansas again?

Review:

This is my first time reading this book. I saw it on NetGalley, so I thought why not?

Well I was so surprised while reading this to find that it is so different from the movie! I assumed they would be more similar. Almost everything that I associate with The Wizard of Oz is just in the movie, not the book. At least Dorothy still had Toto and her blue gingham dress.

My first shock was that her shoes are silver! Silver! Not ruby slippers! Silver shoes. I guess the ruby was chosen for the movie because it stands out more in film. But the ruby slippers are such an iconic image from the Wizard of Oz that I assumed that’s what they were in the book.

This story is an easy read. It moves at a good pace, with lots happening. Some parts were kind of violent for a children’s novel, but that’s just because it was written over a hundred years ago when children’s books weren’t as innocent as they are today.

Now I will have to rewatch the movie to see what other differences there are!